Play The Game » Think Before You Speak

"Play The Game » Think Before You Speak" is a campaign by Townsville Junior Touch to promote good behaviour and positive experiences amongst participants and parents at Touch Football matches because everyone deserves the right to enjoy their Touch Football Experience!

The campaign covers four of our membership groups:

• Officials;
• Coaches;
• Players; and
• Parents & Spectators.

Referees Are Human Too!

We all want our kids to enjoy junior sport, but we can't do that without the help of the dedicated officials who volunteer their time to support the junior Touch Football.

While our referees are paid a small fee, they are not professionals and can't be expected to perform as such!

Our referees are always learning, always getting better. They're going to make a mistake or two, but always remember: they're human, just like you!

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Good Coaches, Good Role Models

Good coaches are hard to come by. They're not just the ones who give up their time every week to help out kids learn what it takes to win on the Touch Football field; good coaches are the ones who are always responsible and set good examples for not just their own players, but all participants around them.

A good coach is someone who always acts as a great role model to children, who parents can trust to teach their children lessons that will help them grow into great adults. A good coach knows that it's not always about scoring the most touchdowns, it's about learning and developing the skills that can make you better at what you do.

While the job isn't easy, it is rewarding! Having a good coach can mean the difference between children enjoying their sport, and despising it.

Are you a good and responsible coach?

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You Lose Your Cool, You Lose The Game!

Let's face it, no-one likes to lose or make mistakes, but it's a natural part of life; what's important is how we handle it when we do!

If you're the type of player that gets aggressive when they make a mistake, think twice about how your actions will affect your team. Referees take a tough stance on over-aggressive players, and it doesn't just affect you, your team is the one that gets punished.

The best players are the ones who can stay composed even when things aren't going their way. They understand the effect that their actions have on their team, and make sure they stay calm under pressure. They don't blame others, they just get on with the job. They don't stay angry when they make a mistake or lose, they learn from it and come back better and stronger.

Learn from your mistakes, do it better next time. Take each mistake and loss as an opportunity to improve your game!

Don't be the reason for your side loses, just because you lost your cool.

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Positive Sideline Supporters

It's an accepted fact that we all want our children to do well, whether it's in sport or school or just life in general, but have you ever really stopped and thought about how your actions on the sideline can reflect on your child's desire to keep doing what they do?

The "ugly parent" syndrome is quite common across junior sport, there aren't too many sports that doesn't have at least one or two parents that take it "just a little too far". Increasingly, junior sports right across the country are losing players because their parents put too much emphasis on winning and not enough on enjoying the moment.

To often we get wrapped up in our own emotions that we forget what is important to our children. While nobody enjoys losing, it's an important part of life because it teaches children how to get back up and try again. Every once-in-a-while we have to lose, we have to get knocked down and we have to learn to "put up" when we don't agree. It's a fact of life.

Remember your role as a sideline supporter is just that, a supporter. When you're a spectator, you're not a coach and you're not a referee! We have dedicated volunteers that have undergone the training and obtained the accreditation to be able to take those positions. These people freely give up their time to enable your children to enjoy an afternoon of sport with their friends; please respect that.

Remember: let the Coach coach, and the Referee referee!

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